Rubbers
by RiteOnTime
Summary: Percy finds a way to pass math without having to study and thinks he's in the clear, until Annabeth figures it out. Percy POV. Rated T for swearing and sexual references.


It worked. Holy Hephaestus _it worked_. Despite the fact that I thought that I was doomed to fail even though I had actually tried to study for one of my stupid math tests for once. And Annabeth had no idea. Gods this must be my best idea ever.

She was leaning up against the wall outside my classroom focused on her newest novel. That is until I placed my test on top of the pages so that she couldn't miss that beautiful red "A" at the top of the front page. At first I could tell she was annoyed, but when she saw the grade her irritation was replaced by shock. Ouch. Then again it wasn't too often that I got good grades so I didn't really blame her. Not all of us could be brilliant daughters of Athena.

"I _told_ you that studying would pay off!" she said as she wrapped her arms around my neck. I laughed into her hair and returned her embrace, careful to keep from pressing our hips together. It would not bode well for her to find out how I really passed was still in my pocket. Next time I'd have to ask Leo to make something a little less bulky.

"Maybe you're just rubbing off on me." We pulled apart, but I kept a hold on one of her hands. As we walked out of the school, I was hyper-aware of the fact that there was a rectangular bulge in the pocket closest to Annabeth and that if she brushed up against me she would definitely have to feel it. _Play it cool, Percy_.

Since math was my last class of the day, and Annabeth finished her last class before me, we started heading back to my apartment. Most days I don't really think about how lucky it is that my mom and Paul let her stay with us or the fact that she goes to Goode with me. I mean, after the war, things were pretty bad; panic attacks, nightmares, PTSD. Sometimes one of us is called down to the office at school because of something Tartarus induced that's led to some kind of a scene. But we've gotten it under control for the most part I think.

Unfortunately, as far as my plan went, I had no idea how to hide something like this from Annabeth when we are _living together_. Gods was I an idiot; I'd never even considered what would happen after my test, because you can't exactly throw away a magical device and I would have to hide this from Annabeth until I was at least thirty or something. Which is why a small, pebble-sized part of me only had room for one thought: _shit_.

As we walked, Annabeth talked about how proud she was and how she knew I could do it even though I could tell she was still slightly surprised that I had gotten an "A" on a _math_ test. It was like one of my worst subjects. And as she talked, the pebble began to grow and the worry saying _shit, shit, shit_ got progressively louder. I didn't even notice the walk from the school back to my apartment because in what seemed like half a minute we were home and Annabeth was unlocking the door and she was calling out for my mom to show her my test.

"He got a _what_?!" my mom exclaimed as she looked up from her laptop. Annabeth was waving my test in the air like it was a flag of triumph as she walked over to my mom. She placed the paper down on the kitchen table and my mom looked like this was the happiest day of her life. That's when I felt the pebble pass fist-sized.

And then my mom was on me, giving me a bone crushing hug as she gushed about how proud she was and how she knew math wasn't my best subject. When she let me go she turned to Annabeth and told her how she was such a good influence on me and I kind of tuned out for the rest because they were both distracted and this was my chance. While they talked about how to celebrate, I walked to my room as quickly as I could without being suspicious so that I could hide the real reason I did so well.

Despite my good grade, today was just not my day. "What's all the commotion?" Paul asked as he opened the door to his and my mom's room. _Shit, shit, shit_ beat inside my head. Of all the days to be sick, Paul had to be sick today. It wasn't anything that bad, just a head cold or something, and he looked fine, but it meant that the attention was back on m.

"Paul, look at this!" my mom said as she picked up my test from its place on the kitchen table. He and I had been corralled into the living room and Annabeth was leaning against the side of me with the pocket containing the reason for all the "commotion."

While Paul put on his glasses so that he could make sure his "eyes weren't playing tricks on him," Annabeth tilted her head up closer to my ear. "We can have our own, _private_, celebration when your mom and Paul go to get burgers," she whispered. And _shit_ if it wasn't completely sexy the way she whispered it in that voice that I loved. The fist-sized rock kept growing.

"Wow, Percy, way to go!" Paul exclaimed once he decided that my grade wasn't a trick of his eyes. "You know this means you pass Cooper's class, right?" Of course I knew, that was the whole point of me making sure that I did so well.

"Yeah, I guess I got lucky," I replied with a smile, and then immediately regretted considering what Annabeth had just said to me. She coughed next to me and I knew she was thinking the same thing I was.

"This calls for celebratory burgers! Remy's?" my mom asked, as if that were really a question. Remy's was my favorite, which meant the rock in my chest was beginning to feel like dead weight.

Within five minutes my mom and Paul were out the door and Annabeth and I were in my room with the curtains drawn and her mouth on mine. I had to admit, I wasn't exactly complaining about this part so far. Especially when she was pushing me onto the bed and climbing on top of me and _wow, when did she take her shirt off_? It only barely registered with me when, in the process of taking off my pants, something clattered onto the floor. But then Annabeth was kissing me again and I've never stood a chance at being able to focus on anything but her at times like these.

* * *

Annabeth and I were lying down next to each other, both trying to catch our breath. "Gods, if that's what happens when I get good grades, I should start being a good student more often," I said. She laughed and rolled onto her side so she could look at me.

"It's certainly a good motivator," she replied before she kissed me. _What a great way to celebrate_, I thought.

"You know," I started as she got up to start putting her clothes back on. "You could just stay like that until they get back…" I was cut off by her flinging my jeans at my face.

"Fat chance, Seaweed Brain," she said. As I started pulling my jeans back on, I noticed the glint of metal on the floor and the lack of a rectangular object in my pants. _Shit_, I thought, hoping Annabeth wouldn't notice, but, too late, she was bending down to pick it up.

I was doing so well, too. The rock-shaped guilt was gone, I was going to pass math, and I had a surefire way to get amazing celebratory sex more often. _Shit_.

"Percy," Annabeth started as she pulled her shirt over her head. She turned to look at me with the same puzzled expression she had been using to contemplate the metal eraser. If she asked a question while holding it and saw what happens, I would be so screwed. I held out my hand for the metal eraser, but she held onto it. "What is this?" she asked as she looked at me. Her grey eyes were stormy and I could already tell that she was putting the pieces together about what it _could _be. There would be precious little time for me to come up with an excuse.

"It's, um, a-uh," a what? "A USB drive." It kind of looked like one at least and I knew she wouldn't know what they're supposed to look like.

"For?" she asked, clearly skeptical.

"A project. For school."

"What class?"

"Um," _shit_, what class would I need a USB drive for? "Computer science," I said, trying to be confident.

"Really?" Annabeth was looming over me and my heart was stammering in time with my mantra of _shit, shit, shit_.

"Yep."

"Isn't that a blow-off class where all the work is done at school?" She was smiling and she _knew_. Shit.

"I need to finish an assignment." And if that wasn't the single lamest excuse I've ever come up with I don't know what is.

"Then why does it say 'he's lying' on this?" she asked, turning the eraser towards me so I could see the words. As she turned it towards me, they shifted until it read "because he cheated." Why did I even think I would be able to keep this from her? Gods, I was in trouble, and the only thing left was to wait and see just how much trouble it would be.

"This isn't a USB drive, is it?" Annabeth didn't need to see the answer on the eraser to know what it was. "Leo made this, didn't he?" Her questions were becoming rhetorical, which wasn't good for me; it meant big trouble. "You used this to get an A on that test, didn't you?" Her smile was downright _evil_ at this point.

"Yes," I whispered with eyes downcast. But then she sighed and I could feel the disappointment ebb from her, which was almost worse than any punishment she could've inflicted. Until she told me what my penance would be.

"We're going to every museum you've refused to go to with me. For a month." She leaned away from me as I looked at her. The look on her face was practically daring me to fight back, but I knew it was pointless; it is most of the time anyway.

"Alright," I said, dejected, as I heard the front door open. Thank the gods we had both gotten our clothes back on before Annabeth found the stupid enchanted eraser. The scent of burgers and fries wafted in from the entryway, but Annabeth put an arm across the opening to my bedroom, barring me from leaving.

"Next time just study and I won't be mad no matter what grade you get," she said. I nodded and she put her arm down and even though she had been disappointed in me just moments before, she still put her hand in mine. After all I _did_ pass math.

* * *

**A/N: The "metal eraser" is a rectangular, enchanted object made out of celestial bronze by Leo. To mortals, it just looks like an eraser, but if you ask a question while holding it, it displays the answer.**


End file.
